Wireless Sensing of Plant Chemical Communication Using Laser-Induced Graphene

Sagebrush and the habitat they provide face increasing environmental pressure, and the ability to monitor the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) they emit may help in conservation efforts. This paper describes a wireless sensing system designed to monitor these VOCs. A sensor was manufactured from laser-induced graphene that changes resistance in the presence of VOCs. This sensor is integrated into a Wheatstone bridge and the resulting voltage amplified, sampled, and transmitted wirelessly using Bluetooth Low-Energy. The design is based on a TinyPICO development board and included other additional sensors. Further research and development may lead to construction of a network of sensors capable of collecting spatial-temporal data on VOC communication.